


Captain America: Super Puppy

by tellxmebby



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Barely-there Tony!angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Nonsense, Puppies, Puppy!Steve, Puppy!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-15
Updated: 2012-08-15
Packaged: 2017-11-12 04:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellxmebby/pseuds/tellxmebby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternatively, "Why There's a Picture of a Puppy in the Avengers Official Scrapbook".</p><p>AKA that time Steve Rogers got turned into a four-month-old golden retriever by an alien yielding a magic ray gun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain America: Super Puppy

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'ed since I'm going Up North for a few days right after this is published! If anyone points them out, I'll gladly fix any mistakes. I'm sure there's a few.
> 
> This is probably some weird mixture of MA:A!verse and Movie!verse, I'm not really sure. So, just go with it like I did? :D
> 
> The POV starts off with Tony and switches to Steve's for the rest of the fic, so everyone knows!

Ridiculous. This whole damn situation is just ridiculous, and Tony is embarrassed to have been a part of it.

Steve isn't even the one who was supposed to get zapped by the damn weapon! A blow from the repulsors had knocked the wielder off course just enough that instead of zapping Bruce, who was Hulk at the time, it'd gone six feet to the right and hit Steve, who somehow _hadn't ducked or thrown the shield up_.

Fuck everything.

He supposes it's for the best. An enormous green rage puppy would scare the citizens far more than the unassuming golden retriever that some people are already eyeing with adoring faces. At least Steve will be easier to handle.

After he'd watched _the transformation into a puppy_ in front of his eyes, Tony takes out the last guy who had been wielding the magic gun and lands down a few feet behind Steve, flipping the faceplate up and walking closer.

He makes a mental note to take the damn weapon to his lab.

Steve pays him no mind. He's too busy staring at his reflection in a glass window, his head cocked to the side. He's sitting atop his uniform, which is crumpled on the ground. Tony watches as he lifts up a paw and bats at the window, whining low in his throat. It would probably be cute if Tony didn't know that it was Steve.

"Hey," Tony says, kneeling down behind the puppy. Steve finally acknowledges him, turning around with his ears down, looking heartbreakingly angsty. He unsuccessfully tries to walk over to Tony, but being on four limbs instead of two must be throwing him off, because he stops and sits again and hangs his head.

Seriously, fuck _everything_. 

Tony reaches over to carefully pick the pup up in his armored hands, pulling him close to his chest. "Don't you worry, Cap, we're going to fix this. There's no way I'm keeping you around the tower for more than a week like that. The dog hair would upset my delicate machinery."

Not to mention there's no way Steve is sleeping in their bed like that.

(Okay, maybe he will, but he's going to complain about dog hair.)

He can see the way Steve's chest puffs up as he sighs, exactly like he does when Tony's been in the lab again all night or gets in fight with Clint or doesn't eat breakfast with his four cups of coffee.

Tony looks over at Hulk, who, hey, is Bruce again, and is holding up his pants while staring shocked at the puppy Tony's holding. Steve sees and whines some more, burying his head into the space between Tony's body and crooked elbow to apparently ignore the situation.

Fucking magic.

They're going to need to find a way to get ahold of Thor.

\--------------------

Two hours and a vet visit Tony insisted on [that Steve has protested but eventually agreed to] to determine Steve's health and age later, the Avengers are back at the tower and gathered in the living room. In that time, puppy Steve has learned to walk, run, bark, growl, and execute the most pitiful puppy eyes everyone swears they have ever seen.

"Well," Tony says from the couch, where he's watching Steve prowl around the room and sniff various objects. He has to wonder what the hell Steve is thinking, and what it's like, but he also never wants to know, so he doesn't vocalize those thoughts for fear of the Universe taking it to the next level.

"I think he needs a collar," Clint offers up cheerily. When Steve barks out a protest, Clint's grin gets wider than it had been. He is having way to much fun with this.

"I'm allergic to dogs," Bruce says. "I should probably leave soon," he adds over Tony's groan.

"There goes your help. Fuck, I'm going to have to figure this out on my own, aren't I?" Tony says, and Bruce looks over apologetically, nodding his head.

"I could maybe help in the lab, but Steve can't be there or even be brought down there with you, which would hinder things," Bruce replies.

Natasha speaks up next. "I'll see what SHIELD can do about contacting Thor. They know where Jane Foster is, and she's the one with the most knowledge on the bridge to Asgard. If it is magic, maybe he can give us a solution."

"What's the odds if it just.. wearing off, after a couple of days?" Tony wonders out loud, not really expecting a reply. They can't hope for that, he's still got to work on the gun, take it apart piece-by-piece and maybe reverse-engineer it...

"I'd say it's likely. A lot of magic we've seen isn't permanent unless someone keeps the spell renewed. But we can't hope for that. We need the Captain back in case of an emergency," Natasha replies , voicing Tony's inner monologue.

"At least he can understand and kind of communicate with us. It'd be worse if he was totally a puppy. I'd hate to have to house-train him," Clint laughs, and everyone murmurs agreement, even Steve, who nods along.

\--------------------

Steve is agitated. Even in this... form, he supposes he's still got the super-soldier physique going on, that gets him twitchy if he sits still for too long. The tail is especially annoying.

He's also kind of hungry, and definitely thirsty, and everything looks... different. There's shades of blues and yellows, but mostly everything is a shade of green, like he's staring through night-vision goggles without the dark.

He can't see anything red at all. Tony's armor had looked like a shade of dark green instead of the bright crimson, the gold more a sickly yellow-green and the arc reactor shining bright through it all.

Steve has to adapt, though. He knows that whether this is going to last a couple more hours or more... permanently (he refuses to think the word forever), he has to learn to adjust and comprehend. He can understand the groups conversation, but he can't participate, really, so he chooses instead to learn how to identify with his new enhanced sense of smell.

He already knows Tony's smell, in and out of the armor. He'd be easy to identify no matter what. A distinct metal-grease-ozone tang when he's wearing it, and a musky-sunshine-spearmint scent without.

Bruce, who had been on Steve's other side during the Quinjet flight to the Hellicarrier, although turned away from him (he'd been offended at first, but now he understands the allergies) smelled... dangerous. There was definitely some distinct smell of angry, is the only way to describe it, but it came along with tea leaves and standard bar soap, and Steve knew in his rational mind that Bruce wouldn't hurt him, so he ignored the instincts to stay away.

He hasn't gotten a good read on Natasha or Clint yet, but he will, he's sure. For now, Steve is taking in the distinct scent of _home_. He sniffs around the febreeze-fresh carpet, the plastic of the electronics, the metal of the coffee table and the fabric of the couch, cataloging them all in his mind to better understand this new sense.

By the time anyone around the living room looks ready to move, Steve's scented every new thing he can in this room and sits and barks to gather someone's attention. Fortunately, they all turn to look at him at once.

"I think he wants our attention?" Natasha says. Steve wishes he could roll his eyes. He barks again before trotting into the kitchen, and all of them follow but Bruce, who takes his leave saying he'll check in later.

"I guess he's... hungry?" Clint questions, and Steve nods from his new point in front of the refrigerator, where he's almost glaring at the appliance. He could open it himself if he was full-grown, but he's a _puppy_.

"Alright then, we can work with that." Tony walks forward to open the fridge and peer inside. It's stocked full, but the entire room hesitates. It's not like he can tell them what he wants, so he puts his paws up on the edge and sniffs around on the shelves he can reach.

It takes Steve a second to realize it, but, gosh, food smells _good_.

There's fruits which smell too powerful, especially oranges, and vegetables that smell AND look green, and then there's cooked and uncooked meats, that smell mouth-watering. There's a piece of leftover baked chicken wrapped on a plate, and Steve figures that'll do, so he nudges it with his nose, and luckily Tony gets the message.

He's just unwrapped the plastic from it and is ready to apparently set it on the ground like Steve is actually a dog, when Clint speaks up.

"Is that... healthy? I know it's chicken but, shouldn't he get like... dog food for proper nutrition?"

Tony stops, and makes a 'huh' noise as if he's actually considering that. Immediately, Steve turns to growl at the suggestion, lips raising. He is not a dog. He is a human who happens to currently be a dog but they will not be treating him like a dog.

"That's... adorable," Natasha says, then, and Steve realizes maybe in this form he doesn't look very intimidating.

Damn, why couldn't he have just been full-grown? He wouldn't need any of them for this. He could reach everything himself and open it with his new jaws and it would've been fine. He doesn't like relying on others.

With another growl, Steve jumps and knocks the plate from Tony's hand, which brings it crashing to the ground where it smashes into pieces. The chicken goes flying and ends up underneath a bar stool.

They all look startled.

"I think we've offended him," Natasha, again, and Steve huffs and sits to stare them all down until they get the message. He's starving, but he refuses to eat the chicken now that it has hit the floor, especially since there could be his own fur on it.

"Okay, so, no dog food. Got it," Tony says, "and no feeding off the floor. New rules, class. Steve is not a real dog, and we'll all have to remember that. Someone's got to clean that glass up before he steps on it, though."

"I'll do it," Clint offers, surprisingly, and goes into a tall cabinet that holds a broom and dustpan. While he does, Tony turns back to the fridge and Natasha watches it all.

"Want to pick something else out, Cap?"

Steve nods and Tony opens the fridge again. There's not anymore pre-cooked meat, though, so now Steve doesn't know what to do. He knows that dogs shouldn't eat chocolate and certain fruits and vegetables, but he can't remember which ones, so it's safest to stay away from them all until he can hopefully convey that someone should look that up.

"Uh, we can brown up some hamburger for you," Tony suggests, and Steve barks his assent, trotting over to the kitchen table and managing to jump onto and sit in a chair to watch Tony do just that.

Tony sighs. It's a tiny thing, but Steve sees it and maybe feels a little bad. He wishes he didn't have to rely on the others for this, especially since Tony's time would be better spent in his lab trying to look at the gun that shot him, but he just can't do it himself.

"I'll go contact SHIELD," Natasha says, leaving the room. Clint finishes cleaning up the glass and dumps it into the trashcan. He grabs a can of pringles from the cupboard before he goes back to the living room to turn on the TV.

Tony eyes him for a minute before shrugging and turning to pull out a pan and spatula. "Just you and me."

Steve would reply, but he can't, being that he's a puppy, so he remains quiet and watches Tony drop the meat into a skillet, hacking away at it with the spatula. It's already starting to heat up, Steve can smell. Got to love the best appliances money can buy. Or build.

While he waits, Tony gets out the necessary things to make himself one of his god awful smoothies, but it reminds Steve that he's thirsty himself, so he barks to get Tony's attention.

"What?" Tony asks, and Steve manages to wag his tail and turns and gestures his head to the faucet.

"I don't know what you want. You can't have a smoothie."

Again Steve wishes he could roll his eyes. He doesn't like the things when he's human, why on Earth would he like them now? He just wants some water! It should not be this difficult to express that.

Steve puts his paws on the table and nods toward the faucet before panting to mime thirst, but Tony still doesn't seem to understand.

"I believe Captain Rogers is thirsty, sir," JARVIS supplies helpfully, and Steve barks happily that the message has gotten across. Maybe JARVIS can be helpful, too.

"Oh, okay. Well, you're gonna have to drink from a bowl, Steve. I'm not going to even try giving you a cup. Don't get pissy about it."

Steve sighs, but it only takes moments for a large bowl of water to be placed in front of him and he laps at it eagerly. It feels strange, the water dripping off his jaw instead of going down clean like it should, but it's cool and refreshing so he doesn't much care.

A few minutes later, the meat is done and Steve downs that eagerly, too. It tastes fine and is easy enough to chew and swallow. He hasn't managed to eat the whole plate, because he thinks his stomach must be smaller now, but now that his greater needs are met, he starts to feel a little tired.

A nap won't hurt, and he won't bother anyone by dozing on the couch next to Clint. Especially now that he doesn't have to lay across the entire thing to get comfortable. Tony laughs when he yawns and a high-pitched whistle escapes, but looks mollified once Steve stares sharply at him.

"Well, I'll be in the lab. You go have yourself a nice nap," Tony laughs before he leaves, and Steve nods his assent. He and Tony part ways at the kitchen door, Tony to the lab and Steve to jump on the couch and curl up in the corner.

Clint idly reaches down to pat him and scratch behind his ears, and Steve feels like he shouldn't be allowing that because, again, not a real dog, but it's actually very comfortable. Clint smells earthy, like wood and rain, and he's asleep within minutes.

\--------------------

When Steve wakes up, he feels well-rested, like he's been asleep for a very long time. The first thing he notices is that It's dark outside, TV off, Clint nowhere to be found. Once he sees that the clock reads midnight, he affirms his suspicions. It was about 4 PM when he fell asleep, so he's gotten enough that he feels twitchy with energy.

Then, he notices he's definitely still a puppy. At first he's disappointed he hasn't changed back when he was sleeping. It it was foolish, though, to hope for such a quick and easy solution, so he clears his thought from his mind.

"JARVIS, where's Tony?" Steve starts to ask, but it comes out as soft yips and he remembers that he can't talk, either. He growls, frustrated. He'll find a way to communicate while he's like this.

Morse code, maybe? He thinks he can smack and wave his tail in the dashes and dots. Who would notice, though? Would JARVIS? The only one left awake is probably Tony, and he's probably been in the lab for the past six hours.

With a sigh that sounds strange to his own ears, Steve stands and jumps lightly from the couch, catching himself on all fours. He's hungry again, and also really has to pee...

That's going to be a problem.

Steve dashes quickly up to the elevator, jumping as high as he can and managing to hit the button to open it up all on his own, which he reminds himself to acknowledge later. JARVIS must be tracking him, because once he's inside the button for his and Tony's floor lights automatically and the elevator is taking him up.

He exits the elevator in a hurry when it opens, and JARVIS is opening doors helpfully along the way, through their personal living room to the bedroom and then to the bathroom when he sees where Steve is headed. That's where he hesitates.

"A suggestion, Captain Rogers. Perhaps use the bath? I can turn the water on to rinse once you're done."

His tiny body is shaking from holding his bladder, so he climbs into the tub quickly to follow the suggestion, panting happily as lifts a leg to empty his bladder. He'll figure out a way to use the toilet later.

Once he's out, JARVIS rinses the tub and Steve says thanks, which comes out as a happy yip.

"Sir is still down in his lab if you would like  that I get you there," JARVIS acknowledges, and Steve barks and wags his tail, happy that JARVIS seems to know his habits that well.

Doors open, along with the elevator, and it's a few minutes until he's made it to the lab where JARVIS helpfully turns down the music. It's actually hurting his ears this time, since the dog ears are enhanced, too.

"JARVIS, what have I said about turning down my-" Tony starts, but Steve is running over to him and showing himself. He's too short now for him to look over and see him in the doorway. "Oh, hey, Steve. JARVIS didn't tell me you were awake, the traitor. That'd be fine except I told him specifically to let me know if you were going to come down here-"

Steve tunes him out to judge the distance between the floor and the workshop table. It's not much of a jump but there's no other option; he'd like to be face-to-face.

"-And now he hasn't done that and I feel bad because I don't have any news just yet-"

He decides to go for it, but he misjudges his ability and ends up scrabbling his nails against the metal before falling on his side with an undignified 'ooph'.

"-I mean I've been trying and I think it can be reversed but it's kind of stupi- Shit, Steve, why would you try that?!" Tony's shouting, throwing down his screwdriver and scrambling along the floor to get to Steve.

"Oh god, you didn't break anything, did you? Steve, sit up or something, you're freaking me out. Jesus, you probably broke yourself and I'll have to drag you back to the Vet and you'll fight me and be ridiculous about it."

Steve rumbles in his chest and gets up gingerly, making sure everything is good. He feels fine, so he goes to Tony and pushes his nose to his cheek.

"Ugh. Wet. Wet and cold. You're lucky you didn't break anything because I would've let them give you shots this time."

Steve snorts and it sounds like a strange snuffle, but he's panting happily and Tony rolls his eyes, mouth pinched.

"Great, laugh at me for being worried. I've been working and worrying all this time while you enjoyed your little 'nap' and now you're laughing at me." Tony's really tense, and looks exhausted. Steve realizes he probably hasn't slept in more than 24 hours because he was in the lab last night, too.

Steve whines and pulls out the puppy eyes, on purpose, and Tony grumbles that Steve is being unfair. But then Tony's arms are coming to wrap around him to lift him up and set him on the table, and he sits back and frowns at Steve, so Steve wags his tail and walks forward to lick his cheek.

"Gross, Steve. I don't even like dogs. You're lucky I _saw_ you change or I would've abandoned you there and you'd never have found your way back without someone stealing you away," Tony's rambling, now, and Steve knows he's troubled.

Steve puts his paws on each of Tony's shoulders and stares him in the face, until Tony's shoulders finally sag and he huffs out a breath. When Steve sits back and looks attentive, Tony reaches up to scratch behind his ears. Steve allows it, because it seems to relax him further.

It takes almost ten minutes, but finally Tony speaks up.

"I can't figure it out. I'm no good with magic. I have an idea but I don't know if it's going to work, so I don't want to try it in you until I'm sure. But I can't be sure until we try it."

Steve understands the what's wrong, now. Nothing bothers Tony more than a problem he can't solve, and he's not willing to sit around and wait to see if Steve will change back on his own, or hope Thor can come to Earth with some magical Asgardian solution. Tony relies on himself, and would rather not accept help if he thinks he can do it on his own.

As much as Steve would like to not be a dog anymore, he's more than willing to deal with it until Tony gets some proper rest and then wakes up and eats a proper meal so he barks out to Tony that he should get some sleep.

Tony looks concerned. "What? Are you okay? You don't need to pee, do you? I don't think you can use the toilet like that."

"Captain Rogers has already used the restroom, sir," JARVIS supplies, and Tony laughs for a full two minutes.

"I have got to hear that story. Make a note for me to ask him when he's human again."

This is the third time Steve wishes he could roll his eyes. Instead he walks to the edge of the table and looks down and back at Tony, wagging his tail at the dark-haired man.

"Okay, so you wanna get down," Tony says, picking Steve up to help him to the ground. Once Steve's safely on all fours, he figures his only option is to pull on Tony's pant leg until he follows.

"Jesus, Steve, these are nice pants. Well... Were nice pants, I guess. Where are we going?" He's saying as he gets up and lets Steve lead the way to the elevator. Steve pushes the button himself again, bumping it with his nose. Tony follows and Steve dog-grins at him, pleased with himself.

Tony smirks. "You're seriously adorable like this, you know. I'm only following you because I'm afraid of your teeth if I don't."

Steve nips at Tony's leg for that. Tony shakes it a little, batting Steve away. "You're a menace. I should have you fixed."

"What floor, sir?" JARVIS interrupts, and Tony reaches over with a look to Steve to press the button for their shared one, who nods approvingly.

"Looks like Steve here is still going to be Steve and make me sleep," Tony says to JARVIS, and Steve grins again. "Just remember it's your fault that you'll be like this a while longer," Tony adds, and Steve can hear the hidden meaning.

He knows Tony doesn't want to stop working on the weapon. He wants Steve's body back almost as much as Steve himself does, probably. Steve would tell him a thousand times that he'd needs Tony to be in top condition, that he worries, especially now that he's out of commission if another attack on the city comes.

However, he can't speak, so instead he walks over to sit and rest his (admittedly small) bulk against Tony's leg as the elevator ascends.

\--------------------

Once Tony's situated in the bed, already falling sleep, Steve goes back into the living area to run around for a little. He's sure it looks silly, but he'd do the same thing with this much energy in his human body. Luckily his meal earlier seems to be keeping him full enough, and he can deal with any thirst.

An hour later, when Steve finally tires of running laps around the room and jumping up and down off the couch, he decides he could get some more sleep.

Yawning, Steve creeps back into the room where Tony is, covers kicked down to his hips. Steve shakes his head fondly, which ends up flapping his ears, and he snuffles out his version of a laugh.

He really hopes Tony can figure this out tomorrow, or Thor will show up.

Following the light of the reactor, Steve jumps up to cuddle up to Tony's front, closing his eyes and falls asleep to Tony's light snoring.

\--------------------

"This is the weirdest thing I have ever been a part of," Tony is saying as enters the bathroom with Steve the next morning. Steve woke him up by barking and scratching at the bathroom door. JARVIS seems to understand he's going to need Tony's help with this, so he doesn't interfere.

Steve whines and pulls out the puppy eyes. It's not his fault he has to use the restroom and he's not sure if he'll need Tony's help or not. He can't just use the shower again.

Twenty minutes and a lot of cussing from Tony and frustrated growling from Steve later, Tony flushes the toilet and shudders all over, like he's the one whose traumatized. This body is really awkward compared to his own.

\--------------------

Natasha's in the kitchen when Steve and Tony make it down. The only difference this morning from any other is that Natasha doesn't smirk at them since they both look ruffled, which is kind of nice.

Instead, she puts down the tablet she'd been reading from and speaks up. "SHIELD got ahold of Thor. He said he's too busy in Asgard to come down for at least three days, and if we haven't figure it out by then, to contact him again know only if he absolutely _needs_ to come."

Tony groans and knocks his head against the counter. "Coffee," he replies. This would normally be the point where Steve would get it for him, but, he has no opposable thumbs.

"Oh, right," Tony says, when his mug doesn't magically in front of him like it usually would. "It's okay, Steve, I'll manage on my own today."

He reaches down to pat Steve on the head, and Steve sighs as loud as he can. Natasha chuckles.

"It's still nauseatingly adorable," Clint says as he walks into the kitchen in a pair of pajama pants. "Bruce texted me to say he's going to stay on his own floor after he goes out for breakfast."

"Right, don't want to set off his 'allergies'," Tony snorts. He's downed half his mug already, so he must be feeling more awake. Everyone can hear the air quotes, but nobody replies, except Steve, who bumps his face against Tony's leg reproachfully.

Tony rolls his eyes and walks to the cupboard. "Yeah, yeah. Okay, sorry. I'm sure your thirsty, I'll get you some water and then we'll find something to eat before I head back down to the lab."

"Where are you with that?" Natasha asks, and Clint, whose mouth is stuffed with bagel, waves his hand in a gesture that says he's wondering, too.

"I managed to take it apart without anything exploding," Tony half-jokes, and Natasha nods, clearly expecting more. Steve nudges him as he sets down a bowl of water, prompting him to explain what he'd mentioned last night to the himself and the others. Steve listens while he drinks.

"I have an idea, but I don't think it'll work. The gun had a cylinder in it that had swirly blue stuff shining out of both sides. Obviously magic, like I thought. One side, the one that wasn't pointing out of the barrel, is marked 'R'. Point to anyone else who guesses what that stands for. I had the idea after four hours of fiddling with it of just turning it around and shooting Steve again. But I also don't want to try it because it can't be that easy."

"'Reverse'?" Natasha says, and Tony nods.

Clint speaks up. "I don't know, Stark. Those guys yesterday weren't very intelligent. It could be that easy."

Natasha nods her agreement.

"It's up to Steve, really, but I just want to point out how terribly wrong it could go. He could turn into a pile of goo, or an even younger dog, or make it permanent-"

"I don't think that'll happen," Natasha says, "I think the worst is it just doesn't work. As Clint said, they weren't very intelligent. But as you said, it's up to the Captain."

They all turn to look expectantly at Steve, who is busy trying to open the fridge on his own and unable to manage it. He's already decided that he'll try the idea, because he trusts that Tony wouldn't suggest it if he actually thought all those horrible things could happen.

Like Natasha, Tony must think the worst that could happen would be nothing, and Steve can live with that. If it's definitely magic, then Thor will more than likely have a solution in a few days.

It would suck to live that long as a dog, but he'll cope like he always does with unexpected situations. Right now he's hungry enough that he can barely think, so he's going to worry about that first.

Clint is the first one to start laughing, then Natasha joins in with her light chuckles. When Tony walks over to help Steve out, he's grinning hugely.

"I'm guessing you're okay with the idea, but food first? I can make some more ground beef. Or you can just eat some wheaties from a bowl or something, I doubt it's a big deal."

\--------------------

After Steve has, quite literally, eaten his wheaties, the four of them gather in the lab. Tony puts the gun back piece-by-piece, with the change of slotting the magic cylinder with the 'R' facing out of the barrel.

They decide to set Steve on a makeshift bed of couch cushions and blankets, and all stand behind a plexiglas wall that Tony has Dum-E set up.

Clint is the one who aims the ray gun from behind the class, wearing thick leather gloves to protect him in case the gun backfires on his exposed arm.

Steve stares warily down the barrel, and watches as the gun charges, lighting up in bright shades of almost-white. He's laying down on his stomach with a blanket covering his lower-half, in case he does change back, since he'll be naked.

"Ready, Cap?" Clint asks, and Steve barks out a yes. The room goes quiet and Steve can feel the tension from the other three, but Steve tries to breathe evenly and wait calmly.

As the gun shoots, Steve watches the light come towards him, engulfing him in warmth. The other three must not be able to see, because he hears Tony's panicked shout, but everything is bright and warm and he feels a twinge of discomfort in all his limbs-

The light dissipates as quickly as it came, and he opens his eyes, but they're still adjusting to the sudden dimness of the lab. Aside from the odd ringing in his ears, he doesn't feel like he's turned into a pile of goo or died, so that's good.

Steve lays for a minute, just breathing and getting his eyesight back, until he hears Clint's whoop of glee.

Tentatively twitching his toes, he's more than pleased that he seems to have legs again. He works his way up from there, tensing and testing every muscle. Everything feels normal again, which is a relief, but he knows Tony is going to insist he get checked out properly by Bruce before he's satisfied.

Turning over and clutching the sheet to his naked body, Steve sits up and then stands, grinning over at the other three. It's so nice to be able to see all colors again. The tail is gone, too, and that's great.

"i can't believe that worked."

"Neither can I," Steve replies to Tony, and then grins wider at his own voice. He can speak again, thank god.

"Oh jesus christ, it is so good to hear your voice," Tony's saying as he comes over to poke and prod at Steve's upper torso. "Are you all good? No pain? You can think clearly? Please tell me the tail is gone and your dick is ba-."

"Good to have you back, Captain," Clint interrupts, and Natasha nods.

"Thanks, Clint, Natasha. I'm fine, Tony, don't worry. I guess it really was that simple. Remind me to duck, next time," Steve shudders theatrically, but he's still grinning, so pleased to be back on two legs and without all the fur and floppy ears.

"Well, good. We'll have to vacuum up any hair for Bruce and then get him down here to check you out today. And by vacuum, I mean you, because the bathroom thing this morning was _not cool,_ " Tony replies.

Clint starts laughing. "Oh, I have got to hear that story."

"Yes, it sounds entertaining," Natasha says, grinning, and Steve frowns.

"No. No one gets to hear that story. Or any stories because I'd prefer if we never talked about this again and pretended it didn't happen."

"I already took a picture to add to the official scrapbook, though!" Clint protests.

Steve thinks about it for a minute. "...Fine, but still no stories. I don't want to talk about it."

Sighing but agreeing, Clint leaves the room with Natasha in tow, hopefully to report to Bruce and Thor that he's fine and back to normal.

Tony smiles and reaches his arms around Steve's neck. "I'm just glad you're back to being you. Pissed that it was that easy and that it happened in the first place, but glad you're back. I expect something in return, though" 

Steve tucks the sheet into its self to hang around his hips and brings his arms up around Tony's waist.

"Oh yeah?" Steve grins.

"Yep. I think you know what I'm talking about." Tony says back with a ridiculous eyebrow waggle.

"What, coffee? A fancy meal?" They're getting closer, lips inches apart now.

"Nope," Tony says, right before he kisses him, sweet at first but steadily growing more heated.

Steve grins against Tony's mouth. He thinks maybe he'll enjoy Tony's idea of payment, and thanks anyone who might have had a hand in it that intergalactic warriors leave reverse switches on their ray guns.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse, and I don't really want one. Thanks for reading!


End file.
